Troopers shoot driver after patrol car rammed near Shoreline

SHORELINE — A pursuit that began in south Snohomish County late Thursday night ended when police opened fire on the driver in the Shoreline area.

The driver, who was shot in the leg, was hospitalized before being booked into the King County Jail about 8 a.m. Friday.

Two Washington State Patrol troopers who were involved in the incident were unhurt.

An investigation was underway Friday by King County sheriff’s major crimes detectives.

The pursuit started about 11:50 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Highway 99 and 196th Street SW in Lynnwood, trooper Keith Leary said.

An Edmonds man, 43, was driving a Mazda and took off from an attempted traffic stop.

The chase went southbound on the highway toward N. 175th Street, in the Shoreline area. It ended a few blocks west of the intersection, in a residential area.

At one point during the commotion, a trooper’s car was rammed by the suspect’s car, Leary said.

Both troopers reportedly shot at the suspect. The specific reason remains under investigation, Leary said.

The man ran a short distance before being captured. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg, Leary said.

He later was booked for investigation of assault and attempting to elude police, according to King County jail records. No bail had been set.

His first court appearance likely will happen Saturday, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

The trooper who began the pursuit is 29, with six years on the force, according to the State Patrol. The second trooper involved is 38, with two years on the force.

Both troopers were put on administrative reassignment, which is standard procedure. Their names weren’t released.

King County sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West on Friday declined to release additional details about the shooting.

“While it’s under investigation, we likely won’t comment,” she said.

Officer-involved shootings in Snohomish County typically are investigated by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team. The case is being handled in King County because that’s where the shots were fired, trooper Mark Francis said.